Modern French Literary Studies in the ClassroomPedagogical StrategiesEditor(s): Charles J. Stivale
Pages: xi & 270 pp.
Published: 2004
ISBN: 9780873528047 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9780873528054 (paperback)
"Charles Stivale and the contributors to this volume provide—along with a sense of committed teaching—numerous perspectives, approaches, and solutions to uphold the French literary tradition in our classrooms."

French Review

"Though the [book's] focus is on modern French, the innovative techniques, the classroom experiments, the choice of texts, and the use of computerized programs and Web sites can be equally useful to teachers of French in fields other than modern."

Ilinca Zarifopol-Johnston
Indiana University, Bloomington

Modern French Literary Studies in the Classroom: Pedagogical Strategies investigates how teaching practices can address the changing status of literature in the French classroom. Contributors consider questions about the scope of French studies, the validity of the canon, and the viability of interdisciplinary studies to rethink the teaching of literature.

The essays collected here demonstrate strategies developed by teachers in diverse institutional settings. The first section focuses on how to choose texts that will inspire creativity in students and make a language course thrive. The second set of essays examines ways to bring culture into the study of French literature through attention to different genres and media. The challenge of teaching across disciplines is the emphasis of the third section, which explores the differences sexuality, gender, and race make in canonical and francophone literature. The final series of essays examines how to adopt these new pedagogical strategies to a variety of curricular contexts--general education, combined undergraduate and graduate classrooms, and study-abroad programs.